Metal slat folding door



Nov. 3, 1959 A. 5. WILSON 2,911,037

' METAL SLAT FOLDING DOOR Filed Oct. 27, 1953 V 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 n mm 4 4 6 g 6 i 7 2 Z1 19 19 INVENTOR.

C Z ZZen/fi WLZSOH NOV. 3, 1959 5, WILSON 2,911,037

METAL SLAT FOLDING DOOR Filed Oct. 27. 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 25 42 ma ma ll/daon,

INVEN TOR.

Unite 2,911,037 METAL SLAT FOLDING noon Allen B. Wilson, Chicago, 111., assignor' to Acme Steel Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois to improvements in doors and its purpose is to provide a novel folding door made up of metal slats'which are hinged together and suspended from an overhead track, so that the door may be readily expanded or collapsed and caused to close any desired part of a door opening. I i

The principal object of the invention is to provide an improved folding door comprising thin resilient metal slats which are transversely curved or otherwise formed to import longitudinal stifinessthereto and which are adapted to spring back to their normal shapes when bent therefrom. .A further object is to provide improved means for supporting and guiding the slats of a folding door, whereby they may be readily constructed and may be operated quietly and conveniently. Another object of the invention is to provide a metal slat folding This invention relates States Patent door comprising improved means for hinging adjacent slats together so that relative movement of the slats may be effected without rattles or other noise. Still another object of the invention is to provide an improved method of connecting the edges of adjacent slats in a .metal slat folding door. Other objects relate to various features of construction and arrangement which will appear more fully hereinafter.

The nature of the invention will be understood from the following specification taken with the accompanying drawings in which one embodiment is'illustrated. In the drawings,

Figure '1 shows a perspective view of a partially open door which has been constructed according to the present invention;

Fig. 2. shows an enlarged horizontal section through the preferred form of one of the slats embodied in the door construction illustrated in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 shows an elevation of the upper end of a slat, illustrating the method of cutting away portions thereof in the process of'forming the completed slat;

Fig. 4 shows an enlarged vertical section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1, illustrating the method of suspending the slats from an overhead track member and the means for restraining the slats against transverse movement with respect to the track member;

Fig. 5 shows a perspective view of the upper end of a portion only of the slat construction illustrated in Fig. 1, showing the method of expanding the door by relative movement of the slats on the supporting track member;

Fig. 6 shows an enlarged vertical section taken on the line 66 of Fig. 5, illustrating the hinge construction by which the vertical edges of adjacent slats are pivotally connected, portions of the slats being broken away;

Fig. 7 shows a front elevation of the slat connections illustrated in Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 shows a vertical section taken on the line 88 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 9 shows a front elevation of one of the hinge members removed from the slats; and

2,911,037 Patented Nov. 3, 1959 "ice Fig; 10 is a vertical section similar to that of Fig. 8 illustrating the method of compressing the hinge members axially in the process of moving them into interlocking engagement with the slats.

As illustrated in the drawings, the invention is illustrated in connection with a door opening 15 formed in a wall 16 and having its vertical edges bounded by the door posts 17. The door opening 15 is adapted to be closed by a folding door 18 made up of a plurality of vertical slats 19 which are suspended from an overhead track 20 mounted horizontally at the top of the door opening behind the head boards 21 which extend downwardly from the head rail.22.

The slats 19 are formed of thin resilient metal, such as strip steel, which is transversely curved or otherwise formed so that each slat has a non-planar cross section adapted to give it longitudinal stiffness. These slats may preferably be formed to have the cross sectional shape illustrated particularly in Fig. 2 where the slat 19 is illustrated as having a flattened M-shape comprising two The track member 20 may preferably be formed from a bar of sheet metal which is bent into U-shape, as shown in Fig. 4, with the rounded surface of the bar presented upwardly to contact with tubular bearing members 190 which are formed to extend horizontally along the upper edges of the slots 19d which are formed in the upper portions of the slats. These rail engaging slots 19d may preferably be formed by punching out a U-shaped portion of the metal adjacent one end of the slat to form a tongue 19:: which is bounded by the U-shaped opening 19), as shown in Fig. 3. The tongue 19e is then rolled to provide the tubular bead-like bearing member 190 shown particularly in Figs. 4 and 5. With this arrangement, each slat is adequately supported upon the track member 20 with a minimum of contacting surface so that there is little frictional resistance to the movement of the slats longitudinally of the track member 20 in the process of opening or closing the door. The slots 19d are of such length, measured transversely of the slats, that they permit the expansion and contraction of the door by collapsing or unfolding the slats in the manner illustrated in Figs. 1 and 5. The slat 19 which is at the free end of the door is preferably provided with a handle 24 by which the slats may be moved on the track member and the slat at the opposite end of the door may preferably be secured to the adjacent door post.

In order to permit the folding and unfolding of the slats while maintaining their assembled relationship in a unitary door structure, the slats are pivotally connected together along their vertical edges by means of hinges 25 which are preferably constructed in the manner which is illustrated particularly in Figs. 6 to 10, in-

nected by an intervening curved portion 25d. The lower arm 25c of the uper loop is connected to the upper arm 25b of the lower loop by an intervening straight portion 25e. The upper'arrn 25b ofthe upper loop terminates in an upwardly extending straight portion'ZSf which is in alignment with the part 25c. Similarly, the lower loop portion 25a terminates in a downwardly extending straight portion 25g which is also in alignment with the part 256.

In assembling one of the hinges 25 with respect to the two adjacent slats 19, the hinge is compressed longitudinally, as shown in Fig. 10, until the end portions 25 and 25g register with two of the apertures 19g, whereupon these parts 25f and 25g are inserted through the apertures and the hinge is then allowed to expand longitudinally due'to its own resilience so that the members 251 and 25g. will then engage one surface of the slat 19 While the part 25e of that hinge member which connects the loops 25a will bear against the opposite face of the slat between the two apertures 19g. A torsional twist is thus imparted to the hinge so that it is maintained in close contact with that slat which is engaged by the parts 25 and 25g, whereby relative movement and rattling noises are prevented.

The assembly of a hinge with respect to two adjacent slats 19 also involves the insertion of the two loops 25a through the apertures 19g of the slat 19 which is adjacent to the slat having the interlocking connection with the hinge portions 25e, 25 and 25g. This is accomplished by inserting these loop portions through those slots in the manner shown in Fig. 8 with the hinge somewhat compressed axially so that when the assembly has been completed the hinge will expand vertically due to its own resilience and thereby cause the arms 25b and 250 of the upper and lower loops 25a, respectively, to bear vertically against the upper edge or the upper aperture 19g engaged thereby and against the lower edge of the lower aperture 19g engaged by the lower loop. A resilient pressure is thus exerted by the hinge in a vertical direction on both adjacent slats 19 while a resilient pressure also is exerted transversely to one slat by the parts 252, 25 and 25g. A close frictional engagement is thus maintained between each hinge member and the' connected parts of two adjacent slats so that relative movement of the slats may be eflFected conveniently and quietly. The process of assembly which has been described may, of course, be applied in the application ofall of the hinges 25 throughout the height of the door and any suitable number of hinges may be employed in connecting any two of the adjacent slats. The outermost slat 19 which carries the handle 24 has a free edge which is not provided with apertures 19g.

Although one form of the invention has been shown and described by Way of illustration, together with one method of forming and assembling the hinge connections, it will be understood that the door construction and the method may be modified in various Ways without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A folding closure for openings comprising,- a plurality of thin metal slats suspended from their upper ends and proivded with marginal apertures in the body of the metal along their vertical edges, and hinge members engaging said apertures and having certain parts mounted to exert resilient pressure vertically on said slats at the" edges of said apertures and having other parts arranged toexert resilient pressure on opposite faces of one of the slats engaged thereby.

2. A folding door comprising, a plurality of thin metal slats suspended from their upper ends and provided with marginal apertures along their vertical edges, and hinge members engaging and interconnecting adjacent edges of adjacent slats, each hinge member. including first portions resiliently engaging opposite faces of one slat firmly to mount the hinge member thereon and including second portions resiliently and hingedly engaging the adjacent slat through the apertures therein, whereby to prevent rattling movement between said hinge members and said slats while permitting hinged movement of said adjacent slat with respect to said one slat and said hinge member.

' References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 835,701 Burford Nov. 13, 1906 1,632,219 Deller June 4, 1927 2,002,171 Byron May 21, 1935 2,092,582 Kuhn Sept. 7, 1937 2,153,575 Kramer Apr. 11, 1939 2,156,683 Dunwoodie May 2, 1939 2,228,110 Grumbacher Jan. 7, 1941 2,677,420 Kuyper May 4, 1954 2,748,850 Chenier June 5, 1956 

